Lake speed Jr inside Valvoline R&D lab to investigate their restore and protect

I think one advantage of all the HPL fanbois here is the whole "just a blender" nonsense went into file 13.


Still just a blender.


They don’t make their own ad pack.

Pre-Saudi take over, they didn’t make their own base oils.


Still marketing.

Why is it still marketing?

They don’t tell you the base line oil they used. Sure, if you use the bare bones API minimum spec oil, it’s going to meet spec 7 out of 10 times. It’s going to cause deposits, etc.

They also said, in that video, that bench testing is not reality. And reality is not the same as bench testing. It’s different.

Fuel is different globally - actually, from refinery to refinery, terminal to terminal. The idea of bench testing is to control the variables to get a defined set of data.

Long story short, it still, is just another oil, on the higher side. If you’ve either suddenly purchased or acquired a used high mileage vehicle? Sure. You’d also see similar results with time if you used any other high end oil. (HPL, redline, amsoil, etc. etc. etc.)

The reason why companies don’t have this under their own umbrella, is because it’s a cost center. It’s easier to let the additive companies do it. But to claim “the only oil company” is a stretch. I mean, sure in a technicality. But… Chevron doesn’t? What’s Oronite doing? Hmmm. What’s Infineum doing for Shell and Mobil? I know for a fact Afton has one. And they do a ton of real world testing. (Been a part of it.)

So yeah, I mean good for them? It certainly can be beneficial to have that data. But it’s nothing other major players don’t have. And then some.

Again, this is why I’m brand agnostic for the most part and simply hate marketing. If you use a quality product to begin with, just run with it. As, there will be nothing to “restore and protect.”

If you chose to use this product, cool. I don’t hate the product at all. I think it's perfectly reasonable choice.

(At the time of this post, I’m unsure if they shifted their base oils to star products. But I’m assuming they have.)



Chevron admitting they have an engine lab. Along with the entire video being about their field team. (I know the lead field engineer from the video.)

They also have a marine engine testing lab. Just not in the US.
 
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There is an individual on another forum that was the lead engineer at Cummings R&D that England lead. He was the lead scientist for Cummins Premium Blue Restore. The ISX 15L ( not ISB ) engine was the test engine and the requirement was to remove as close to 100% of deposits on high mileage HD diesel engines. This is where the original Restore came from and it was a lot of ester. This new oil is not using base oils to achieve the cleaning, which they claim goes beyond what polar esters can do as it's more of a continual clean. Most engine high end oil formulas Amsoil, HPL, RL etc are historically keep clean. Not deep clean. (piston deposits vs sludge) I would guess that HPL/Amsoil SS would have a similar ability, but I have no reason to believe that one way or the other. Whether Valvoline is technically a blender or not is irrelevant IMO. They can run the engine tests in-house. Good enough. Many can't. They don't just slap their label on an existing add pack already tested by the additive company. This was developed by Valvoline, created by Valvoline and tested in-house by Valvoline.
 
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I believe it probably works and I'm hoping it helps consumption in my '14 Volvo S60 T5 (5 cylinder).

Nevertheless, I did notice the test they do to build up deposits and remove them, they stated it's at higher temperature than you would normally see in an engine. That helps build up deposits with the baseline oils.

I was just thinking, what if that extra heat also helps their special invisible new additive component? What if it doesn't achieve the same level of cleaning in easier, daily driving? Probably not the case, but it came to mind.

Nevertheless, I'm optimistic it will help my 5 cylinder. :)
 
I was just thinking, what if that extra heat also helps their special invisible new additive component? What if it doesn't achieve the same level of cleaning in easier, daily driving? Probably not the case, but it came to mind.
I was thinking the same thing. But any R&D scientist with any experience would also test its cleaning ability in engines that represents a typical car used on the road before making the claims they have.
 
A couple thoughts....I would bet and believe that this is a very good oil. I have never seen anyone have an issue with Valvoline. Always seems to perform very well.

I like that they tested it on a Pentastar and showed Pentastar internals. Not a DI engine, but it is my engine, as I have two of them. That said, I've been running mostly Mobil 1 and would bet my pistons are clean as can be. On my 2018, I have run a couple rounds of Shell RGT (in there now) and a round of Valvoline EP. But mostly Mobil 1. But I have complete confidence in Valvoline. But why would I even think about it when Mobil 1 EP 0w20 is 4 bucks cheaper at WM than a jug of Valvoline EP?

I could see running a round of this stuff in 5w30 in my Vette to do a cleanup job, but again, I just did 5k with Mobil 1 EP 5w30 and now have Mobil 1 Euro 0w40 in it. I believe the previous owners likely ran Mobil 1, as most Vette owners who care, do. So I doubt my LS2 needs a cleaning. If it does, it is getting it now.

I think Valvoline is great oil. I would consider it as my go-to if I wasn't hooked on Mobil 1. But it might be a close fight with Pennzoil products. Not sure.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Many engines with high miles burn oil from stuck rings, so if a lot of people report that a noticble reduction in oil use results from using R&P then I'd say it's working as advertised.
They are saying exactly what it will do and showing proof from their own industry standard testing that it works exactly as advertised.

Yes, there some salesmanship of “hey look at us, we are better than all the rest, buy our products.” But that is the game. They all do it. Official Oil of NASCAR is marketing hype too. Just a different side of the same coin.
 
They are saying exactly what it will do and showing proof from their own industry standard testing that it works exactly as advertised.

Yes, there some salesmanship of “hey look at us, we are better than all the rest, buy our products.” But that is the game. They all do it. Official Oil of NASCAR is marketing hype too. Just a different side of the same coin.
Exactly.

Of course marketing is involved, how do you think people sell things LMAO. Wait they're selling this oil for money? No way. :oops::LOL:
 
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He also said that oils with the polar base oils are very good at keeping the deposits to a minimum, but this oil moves it to a negative. They know of no other oil that can do that.
I don't know if I missed this in the video, but I wonder how it performs in wear and fuel efficiency compared to one of their other catalog
'non-cleaning' products; in other words, is the EP performance somehow compromised, is certain wear now near the higher margin?

I must rightly assume r&p passes API and ILSAC test standards to earn certification, but where does it not excel?
 
I don't know if I missed this in the video, but I wonder how it performs in wear and fuel efficiency compared to one of their other catalog
'non-cleaning' products; in other words, is the EP performance somehow compromised, is certain wear now near the higher margin?

I must rightly assume r&p passes API and ILSAC test standards to earn certification, but where does it not excel?
They're claiming 79% better wear protection (likely based on IVA) and saying it's the highest performing product in their line.
 
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